Block card usage for different purchases

Hey!

So, you’ve already got the ability to block gambling transactions. Why not add more transactions that can be blocked? Like fast food - for those trying to loose weight, or online shopping?

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I like this idea and think this should be added to the settings with gambling but I think this could be abit to complex and hard to really sort, I don’t know but I like the idea

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The main question would be about how to determine what type of transaction it is. Are we talking retailer? Some sort of transaction detail? How would Monzo decide what to block?

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Well, it could either base it on the most commonly used take outs, like just eat, Ubereats, etc. Or all the user to block specific transactions from their previous transactions?

There are some things that would never work… garages with attached shops normally don’t tell monzo enough to distinguish between food and, for example, a mars bar. Amazon just send Amazon, whatever you buy.

I could get a ready heated pizza from Asda… that’s fast food, but Monzo can’t tell.

Even an alcohol block wouldn’t work - Tesco just sent Tesco, not ‘75 bottles of glenfiddich’.

Until some sort of standards exist for receipt information it’s going to be very hard to make an effective block on anything. Gambling works because by and large it’s regulated and only happens in specific places.

I’m talking high calorie, take outs. Like chinese takeaway, Indian, Pizza. Places that sell specifically takeout food. Easy access, with delivery. Asda, is more effort and doesn’t offer pizza delivery all over the country yet…

In the grand scheme of things, if you really think about it, it is possible. It’s just not possible to block them all! Monzo gets it’s data from websites, some of the take aways will be listed on there as such

I think that’s a big simplification. Identifying any of the non-major merchants would be next to impossible unless the customer were to self-exclude in some way.

Searching just for my local take away “Shengs” get’s you

Worst case, even Google shows it as being a takeaway…

Not saying it’s not possible just that I think there’s no chance Monzo will google every merchant to get this sort of data.

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Don’t they currently do so? To show you information about the retailer? They grab the logo, and location of the purchase, which if I remember correctly is displayed via Google maps. Everything’s possible! If you’re loud enough they will hear! :slightly_smiling_face:

They could use their own merchant data that they’ve been collecting over the years if they invested in it properly :speak_no_evil:

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No they don’t. Logo’s etc are submitted by customers and the location comes from the card terminal data I believe.

I agree it’s possible but it appears to be incredibly labour intensive to source all the data.

https://community.monzo.com/t/where-does-monzo-get-its-icon-images/8385 This was back in 2017, but I’d assume they still do it? Hmmm, we’ll agree to disagree, if they already search the internet they’d just need to modify the parameters they request, and if not it’d just mean creating a new automated process to grab the data.

I believe that the gambling block is possible because the merchant codes for gambling are quite rigid, can’t find the post on it now. Good idea I’m not sure if it’s possible though.

The category allocation is almost certainly done post transaction processing so the category/merchant data logical probably couldn’t be used for blocking the transaction.

This has come up before, and while I’m agnostic about whether it’s a good idea, I don’t think it’s practical.

If a category can be blocked, there needs to be a mechanism to unblock it because customers are entitled to change their mind.

If it’s easy to unblock it (in app, for example), the objective of the block is defeated.

If it’s difficult to unblock it, (via in app chat, for example), it’s too time consuming and labour intensive. Even if it’s made difficult to unblock in app, people will be initiating a chat to accomplish this.

Also, there nothing to stop people who have problems controlling their behaviour from accessing cash to fund their prohibited indulgence.

There seem to be some talks about a merchant block being tested with a small number of users here:

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This would be really good and helpful for those that may not want to spend but like gambling can be an addiction all for this feature

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